In the 1860s, the British Parliament echoed with demands of dismantling the monarchy, because Queen Victoria was in a state of unfretted morbidity and pursued a friendship with a stubborn Scottish manservant, John Brown. Prime Minister Disraeli nicknamed her as Mrs Brown. The usual scandals dominated the scene, tempers frayed and the royal palace was never spared of the ugly gossip.
Mrs Brown is a fascinating movie directed by John Madden with script by Jeremy Brooks. Both of them have shown great restraint in going around the facts, strictly limiting their findings to historical truth without falling prey to temptations of adding spice to the story with the usual doze of gossip that generally plagues such royal rendezvous. In 1864, Queen Victoria (Judi Dench), with an iron will and unquestioned authority, is mourning the sad death of her beloved husband, Prince Albert. Her grief has spread a blanket of gloom in the royal palace, where nobody speaks to her unless spoken to, only whispers are heard around. The Queen’s private secretary, Sir Henry Ponsonby (Geoffrey Palmer), who never smiles, advises that exercising and going out in the fresh air might improve the Queen’s mental health. He sends for John Brown (Billy Connolly) from Balmoral, as he is a favoured employee considering his past work with Prince Albert. Brown takes charge of the royal stables and escorts the Queen if she cares to go for riding. Brown is nonchalant, outspoken and invigorating. He impels the long-suffering Queen to come back to life prompting her to ride and re-establish her contacts with the public. He is so straightforward that he tells the Queen while helping her with the horse ’Lift your foot, woman’.
Such outspokenness draws a faint smile on her face, but the onlookers get a shock. The Queen finds solace in his companionship, thinking more of the days when Brown was with her husband. Sadness percolates her expressions whenever their eyes meet. Brown throws protocol to the winds and takes advantage of his nearness to the Queen and flexes his control over the court. There is gossip-mongering everywhere, at parties, in parliament and in the royal palace. Plots are hatched to get rid of Brown from the palace. But the Queen is adamant and does not budge an inch to the outcry. Brown vows to protect her at all cost. Prime Minister Disraeli (Antony Sher) schemes to create the much-needed balance between the court and the parliament and encourages the Queen to reinstate her authority. The privacy of the royalty is intruded by a certain section of the public, who watches the Queen and her friends on a picnic from a hilltop with telescopes. They are definitely a Victorian version of the present day paparazzi, infringing human rights, incorrigible indeed.
Mrs. Brown is a beautiful representation of the loyalty of a plainhearted Highlander who vowed to protect the Queen on any account and treated her as a human being rather than a monarch. It is a story very remarkable for its unrevealed emotions of a Queen who is saved from drowning in a sea of grief by a loyal companion. Judi Dench, a perfect monarch in her acting kingdom, is the real Victoria. Her performance is ruminating, deeply passionate and sovereign. Her characterization of the mourning Victoria is par excellence. She combines in her expressions an authority, a stubbornness and a deep sadness - a tour de force. The husky voiced, burly and upright Billy Connolly has given life to John Brown. His portrayal as an ambitious man who throws protocol to shambles, is very human and admirable. His exhibition of the zeal to protect his Queen as a dedicated and devoted servant is a treat to watch. Antony Sher as the gleeful, witty and cunning Prime Minister has surpassed in his acting and his mannerisms are amusing. The cinematography has truly captured the beauty of the Scottish Highlands, thanks to Richard Greatrex. John Madden’s direction has made this movie into an unforgettable classic.
Mrs Brown melts away the image of Victoria as a staid and unsmiling Queen, but instills a human touch and a mute sadness into a powerful Queen and her companion Mr Brown, a commoner manservant. Happy trekking in the Highlands, it will relax you.